Connecting Histories in Afghanistan: Market Relations and State Formation on a Colonial Frontier

Author:   Shah Mahmoud Hanifi
Publisher:   Stanford University Press
ISBN:  

9780804774116


Pages:   288
Publication Date:   11 February 2011
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Our Price $45.95 Quantity:  
Add to Cart

Share |

Connecting Histories in Afghanistan: Market Relations and State Formation on a Colonial Frontier


Add your own review!

Overview

Most histories of nineteenth-century Afghanistan argue that the country remained immune to the colonialism emanating from British India because, militarily, Afghan defenders were successful in keeping out British imperial invaders. However, despite these military victories, colonial influences still made their way into Afghanistan. Looking closely at commerce in and between Kabul, Peshawar, and Qandahar, this book reveals how local Afghan nomads and Indian bankers responded to state policies on trade. British colonial political emphasis on Kabul had significant commercial consequences both for the city itself and for the cities it displaced to become the capital of the emerging Afghan state. Focused on routing between three key markets, Connecting Histories in Afghanistan challenges the overtly political tone and Orientalist bias that characterize classic colonialism and much contemporary discussion of Afghanistan.

Full Product Details

Author:   Shah Mahmoud Hanifi
Publisher:   Stanford University Press
Imprint:   Stanford University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.399kg
ISBN:  

9780804774116


ISBN 10:   0804774110
Pages:   288
Publication Date:   11 February 2011
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Reviews

Hanifi's book provides an important contribution to our historical understanding of nineteenth century Afghanistan. There is no work that has mined the colonial archives to provide such a detailed examination of the role of trade, markets, and finance in the problematic process of Afghan state-building. Given current interest in Afghanistan, the book has topicality-and it raises important questions, particularly with regard to the intersections between the history of markets and the history of colonialism, that will be of wide interest to historians. -David Gilmartin, North Carolina State University Hanifi presents what many have erroneously thought to be a simple and straightforward story in a new light. Covering material that has been largely unexplored up to now, he ties Afghanistan's robust history into the global processes shaping the modern world. This is a highly original, innovative, and engaging work. -Benjamin D. Hopkins, George Washington University A brilliant revisionist study that argues that the conventional view of Afghanistan as a model of resistance to colonial power is a myth and that in reality Afghanistan was from the outset a 'colonial construct' whose economic institutions, in particular its commercial and monetary policies, were determined by policies over which it had little or no control. Students of Afghan history will never approach it in quite the same way again. -Robert D. McChesney, New York University


Hanifi's book provides an important contribution to our historical understanding of nineteenth century Afghanistan. There is no work that has mined the colonial archives to provide such a detailed examination of the role of trade, markets, and finance in the problematic process of Afghan state-building. Given current interest in Afghanistan, the book has topicality--and it raises important questions, particularly with regard to the intersections between the history of markets and the history of colonialism, that will be of wide interest to historians. --David Gilmartin, North Carolina State University Hanifi presents what many have erroneously thought to be a simple and straightforward story in a new light. Covering material that has been largely unexplored up to now, he ties Afghanistan's robust history into the global processes shaping the modern world. This is a highly original, innovative, and engaging work. --Benjamin D. Hopkins, George Washington University A brilliant revisionist study that argues that the conventional view of Afghanistan as a model of resistance to colonial power is a myth and that in reality Afghanistan was from the outset a 'colonial construct' whose economic institutions, in particular its commercial and monetary policies, were determined by policies over which it had little or no control. Students of Afghan history will never approach it in quite the same way again. --Robert D. McChesney, New York University


Hanifi's book provides an important contribution to our historical understanding of nineteenth century Afghanistan. There is no work that has mined the colonial archives to provide such a detailed examination of the role of trade, markets, and finance in the problematic process of Afghan state-building. Given current interest in Afghanistan, the book has topicality - and it raises important questions, particularly with regard to the intersections between the history of markets and the history of colonialism, that will be of wide interest to historians. - David Gilmartin, North Carolina State University Hanifi presents what many have erroneously thought to be a simple and straightforward story in a new light. Covering material that has been largely unexplored up to now, he ties Afghanistan's robust history into the global processes shaping the modern world. This is a highly original, innovative, and engaging work. - Benjamin D. Hopkins, George Washington University A brilliant revisionist study that argues that the conventional view of Afghanistan as a model of resistance to colonial power is a myth and that in reality Afghanistan was from the outset a 'colonial construct' whose economic institutions, in particular its commercial and monetary policies, were determined by policies over which it had little or no control. Students of Afghan history will never approach it in quite the same way again. - Robert D. McChesney, New York University


Hanifi presents what many have erroneously thought to be a simple and straightforward story in a new light. Covering material that has been largely unexplored up to now, he ties Afghanistan's robust history into the global processes shaping the modern world. This is a highly original, innovative, and engaging work. --Benjamin D. Hopkins, George Washington University


Author Information

Shah Mahmoud Hanifi is Associate Professor of History at James Madison University.

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

No review item found!

Add your own review!

Countries Available

All regions
Latest Reading Guide

Aorrng

Shopping Cart
Your cart is empty
Shopping cart
Mailing List